Mexican curator and historian Cuauhtémoc Medina has been appointed to lead the 25th Bienal de Arte Paiz. The exhibition will run from November 2027 to February 2028 in Guatemala City and Antigua Guatemala, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Fundación Paiz, the non-profit organization behind the event.
The appointment of Medina signals a strategic push toward academic and international rigor for one of the oldest art events in the Americas. As the sixth-oldest biennial globally and the second-oldest in Latin America—surpassed only by São Paulo—the Bienal de Arte Paiz is transitioning from a celebratory milestone into a period of critical self-examination.
Medina’s Curatorial Mandate and the ‘Contrapunto’ Concept
Medina arrives at the project with a career spanning major global institutions. He holds a doctorate in History and Theory of Art from the University of Essex and has been a full-time researcher at the Instituto de Investigaciones Estéticas at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) since 1993. He served as the first associate curator of Latin American Art Collections at Tate Modern in London from 2002 to 2008 and spent over a decade as chief curator at the Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo (MUAC) in Mexico City between 2013 and 2024. During his tenure at MUAC, he curated exhibitions by artists including Carlos Amorales, Jan Hendrix, Ai Weiwei, Beatriz González, and Magali Lara.
His previous leadership roles include serving as the chief curator of the 12th Shanghai Biennale in 2018 and the head curator of Manifesta 9 in Genk, Belgium, in 2012, the latter in association with Dawn Ades and Katerina Gregos. In 2020, Medina received the Walter Hopps for Curatorial Achievement award from The Menil Collection of Houston in recognition of his curatorial trajectory and innovation. Known for his academic rigour, he has written and edited approximately 20 books on contemporary art and has theorized on the condition of art from Latin America and the Global South.
For the 25th edition, Medina is introducing a conceptual framework titled Contrapunto, inspired by the baroque coexistence of independent voices. This project will be deployed across two axes:
- The confederation of the original nations: A gathering of international creators from nations without a state, designed to dismantle folkloric perceptions.
- A pesar de… (Despite…): An exploration of the persistence of the poetic gesture amidst global tensions.
This structured approach aims to move the event beyond mere exhibition and toward a lasting intellectual legacy. Medina has described the task as a complex challenge that requires balancing cosmopolitan relevance with localized effects. In a statement, Medina noted: For half a century, it [the Bienal de Arte Paiz] has been a reference for art in the Central American region and, above all, has served Guatemalan audiences as a vehicle for contemporary thinking and sensibility.
Questioning the Role of the Modern Biennial
The 50th anniversary of the Fundación Paiz is not being treated as a simple celebration. Instead, the organization is using the milestone to interrogate the utility of the biennial format in the current era.
Hurtarte noted in a press conference that Medina was selected specifically for his curatorial independence and intellectual rigor, traits deemed necessary to challenge the institution during this process. She explained that his experience combining academic research with curatorial practice will help strengthen critical thinking. This shift reflects a broader evolution of the event; since its inception in 1978, the biennial has changed formats, moving from its first 15 contest-based editions to a curated format in 2008.
Medina views these large-scale exhibitions as tools for geopolitical correction. He argues that mega-exhibitions have helped in decentring the geography of global art and encouraging work that avoids the limitations of specific markets or localized cultures. Speaking to The Art Newspaper, Medina stated: “The Paiz Biennial is an event that those of us in Latin American art circuits follow closely, not only because of its longevity but also because of the important colleagues who have led it and the artists who have contributed memorable works.” He added that the commitment of the staff and the medium scale of the event have made it conducive to testing advanced ideas.
Institutional Stakes in Guatemala’s Art Scene
The Bienal de Arte Paiz operates in a landscape where public infrastructure for contemporary art is limited. In a country that still lacks a public contemporary art museum, the Fundación Paiz has stepped in to fill a critical void.
During the 24th edition, the foundation opened the Centro Cultural Fundación Paiz at its Guatemala City headquarters. This venue houses a collection of more than 300 pieces and provides a vital space for temporary projects. By integrating a permanent cultural center with a recurring international biennial, the foundation has moved from being a periodic event organizer to a year-round institutional pillar.
Medina’s appointment is intended to amplify this local impact on a global scale. His history of collaborating with renowned artists—including Ai Weiwei, Francis Alÿs, Andrea Fraser, Kader Attia, and Teresa Margolles—provides the academic weight the foundation seeks to leverage for its 25th edition. Medina has stated that being in charge of the curation of the Bienal de Arte Paiz on this special occasion is a great honour, but also a challenge to highlight the importance of the biennial and Guatemala on a global scale.
The primary uncertainty remaining is how the Contrapunto framework will manifest in the physical spaces of Antigua and Guatemala City, and whether Medina can successfully bridge the gap between the biennial’s deep local roots and his goal of achieving wider cosmopolitan relevance.
